DS is not good at baseball

[Anonymous]

DS is in second grade. He really likes the idea of baseball and little league. However, he is not a good player, especially when it comes to hitting. How do I help him out? Do I need to encourage him to try something else? He is very averse to soccer for whatever reason, although he seems better at soccer than baseball.

He is not super athletic so that may just be part of it.

[Anonymous]

Baseball is really hard. It's really technical. If he enjoys baseball, I would get him some batting lessons from somewhere -- there a ton of places. And then get a bucket of balls and a nice tee so he can practice at home. 2nd grade is super young still, a lot of these kids are still learning!

[Anonymous]

Get a tee and a bucket of balls and have him his those into a net or backstop. He’s only 8. It’s fine.

[Anonymous]

At that age it’s all repetition. The kids who love it or have parents who love it just practice all the time in their back yard. Hundreds of swings a day alone or with friends or with a parent. Keep it fun and give him lots of opportunities to hit anything - nerf ball, whiffle ball, etc.

[Anonymous]

My kid played little league. First season only got one foul tip. Now in high school, still playing and doing great. Keep it fun, let coaches do their thing and give it some time. It’s hard to do something hard so focus on that- label and acknowledge his effort and the goal being improvement.

My kid is not the star but can hold their own!!

[Anonymous]

If he doesn’t want to practice, don’t force it!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS is in second grade. He really likes the idea of baseball and little league. However, he is not a good player, especially when it comes to hitting. How do I help him out? Do I need to encourage him to try something else? He is very averse to soccer for whatever reason, although he seems better at soccer than baseball.

He is not super athletic so that may just be part of it.

Depending on where you live there is coaching. Some places better than others. Cannot suggest one as I don’t know what area you live. Also he should work on overall athleticism. Again there is coaching for this to support baseball. Second grade is way too young to know if he has a future. Keep in little league and avoid travel ball this young. Avoid the pitching as long as possible. Kept my own son from pitching focus until end of hs. Grow the love of the game by attending games college/minor league/Nats/Orioles. Head start baseball camp in summer is fun. Have him play many sports to again develop athleticism. Family spring break to Florida or AZ is fun. Keep the family component.Signed wife of former pro who is still involved.

[Anonymous]

Just play catch with him a lot and have him hit off a tee (if he wants to).

No need to steer him away from baseball and definitely no need for private coaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At that age it’s all repetition. The kids who love it or have parents who love it just practice all the time in their back yard. Hundreds of swings a day alone or with friends or with a parent. Keep it fun and give him lots of opportunities to hit anything - nerf ball, whiffle ball, etc.

This. Play catch and hit in the back yard.

[Anonymous]

My son, at that age, was embarrassingly terrible. Like horrible. Couldn't run between bases, definitely couldn't catch a ball, let alone hit one. But he wanted to play. So I let him even though I felt terrible for whatever team he got put on. And then, one day - maybe in 5th grade - something clicked. I don't know what. He is now in 8th grade and a star pitcher. Just keep at it.

[Anonymous]

The important thing is that he loves it. His own internal motivation is what matters, not his stats. As others have said, get a tee and a bucket of balls — the tee is not a crutch, but an important way to develop good mechanics.

If you want a good family trip, go visit the Hall
of Fame in Cooperstown. It’s filled with guys who struck out 2/3 of the time.

[Anonymous]

I have a second grader too. Mine isn't great at baseball either but he absolutely loves it. He has gotten better since he started a year ago. My husband took him to some batting cages in Alexandria over the weekend. He also played catch with him. I think it is just practice over and over again. My son is on the smaller end for his grade so that contributes to some of the lack of power for batting but he has a pretty good eye so he gets walked a lot. Many pitchers can't find his strike zone.

OTOH, my son also plays soccer and is really good at that. His size helps him because he is very nimble and agile on the field. He has really good footwork. Soccer has way fewer barriers to entry. i would try to encourage rec soccer just for a season to see if he might like it. Kids don't know until they try.

[Anonymous]

Baseball has a steep learning curve because there are so many skills involved and you need lots and lots of reps plus quite a bit of IQ. At this age, throw and catch with him, have him hit off the tee/do front toss with whiffles, but do not force training. Watch games on tv/go to games and teach him how to keep score. Eventually, he will need to make a commitment to training, and he will either get better with reps or he won't, but for now, keep it fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get a tee and a bucket of balls and have him his those into a net or backstop. He’s only 8. It’s fine.

This 100%

A tee for batting and a pitchback for practicing throwing and fielding

[Anonymous]

Send him to Home Run Baseball Camp this summer. Coach Mac is great and caters to kids who love baseball - every kid gets lots of reps every day and they have tons of fun doing it!